Letter to Parents - July 2008
Summer Term 2008
Dear Parents/Carers
Term ends of Wednesday 23rd July at 12.50pm and we hope that your son or daughter has a relaxing summer holiday.
It has been a very exciting term at the Academy. Among the highlights have been a successful trip to the Battlefields in Northern France, the opening of the new David Wilson Construction Centre, together with a display of work done by students in Design Technology and the visit to the Academy of Guin Batten, silver medal winner in rowing at the Sydney Olympics. We have made links with the Tate Modern and Royal College of Music in London and these will grow next year.
We have held a most creative Enterprise Day, welcoming business women and men from Mercedes and from BT to work with students. Year 10 students took part in a full programme of work placements and we now expect every student in the Academy to be creating their own Curriculum Vitae which will grow and develop each year.
Students from the Academy have visited the Space Centre in Leicester and the Tutankhamen exhibition in London There has also been a farm visit for GCSE Geographers, a Year 9 Art trip to the New Walk Gallery in Leicester, a Year 10 visit to the European Parliament in Bruxelles, an exchange trip to Sweden. Year 7 and 8 have visited the Snibston Discovery Park in Leicestershire,and Year 9 and 10 students have visited the Design Museum and Tower Bridge Experience in London.
Our Sixth Form students have taken part in an Art residential with the Tate Modern in London, a visit to attend lectures at the London Mathematics Society, a day with Oxbridge tutors at Sixfields for students wishing to apply to Oxford or Cambridge and a Textiles trip to the London Design Museum in additional to visits to universities and colleges.
We have presented the BBC Radio 4 Morning Worship live from the Academy and there have been drama productions at the Academy, including an inspirational shortened version of Macbeth.
This term, our senior pastoral team leaders have become our Heads of Year. Next year Mrs Kennedy - Year 7, Mr Mason - Year 8, Mrs Beesley - Year 9, Miss Taylor - Year 10 , Mrs Shurville - Year 11 and Mrs Powell - Years 12 and 13 will be working with teams of tutors to support students, ensuring that they are safe and make progress in every way. Our new House Leaders Ms Morgan, Mr M Feely, Miss J Headland, Ms L Hawkins and Mr M Fisher are keen that their house is “ The Best” and the winner of the House Trophy will not be decided until after Sports Day on Tuesday 22nd July.
Our gifted Support Staff, LSAs and Learning Mentors, have worked very hard this term and through their efforts, we are able to increase life chances for vulnerable students. Next term, Mrs Gutteridge will become our SENCO as Mrs Dennis leaves and if you have any particular concerns about Special Needs or Inclusion, please don’t hesitate to contact her or Mr White, The Director of Inclusion.
Attendance over the year has been higher than ever before. Our average for all year groups is 91% (last year it was 90%). It is very important that all students attend every day and we thank you for your encouragement. We can do even better next year.
The Academ Student Council has been active this term. Among the points raised, students have said that more benches are needed in the yard. We have been able to provide these and there are now additional places to sit at lunchtime and at break. Students have also made valuable contributions to healthy food and suggested Italian and Indian theme days. These happened during the term and were very successful.
Parents and carers have attended our Open Forum Evenings to discuss issues of academic progress, behaviour and bullying. We value your views and you have helped us shape our plans for next year, especially around the consistency of homework and the need for even better communication with the Academy.
We would like you to talk to your son/daughter about the last year, asking them what have been the highlights and asking their opinion about what we could improve. Please let me know their views and your comments on any Academy issue, either in a note or in an Email to me:- peter.hullah@northampton-academy.org. I promise that we will reply by 4th September 2008
We are concentrating on raising levels of Literacy across the Academy and we held recently our first Academy Public Speaking Competition. During the summer holidays, please encourage your son or daughter to read. It is the greatest gift you can give as a parent/carer and we will help you in doing this. Every Academy student should read at least two books before next term and our new Year 7 next year already have a guided reading project to enjoy over the holidays.
Staff Leaving We say a huge thank you to those staff who are leaving at the end of the year. Mr Smith leaves to become an Associate Principal at NSG, Mr Pulitzer will become Deputy Director of Science at Kingsthorpe, Mr Lister is going to teach in China and Mr Stormer returns to teach in New Zealand. Mr Rodhouse travels to Canada and Mr O’Toole is planning (in retirement!) to continue teaching at Thomas Becket School. Mr Taylor-Chilton will concentrate on special school teaching and Ms Dennis becomes the SENCO at a local school. Mr Sailors will move to the UAE, Mr Roberts has decided to move away and Mrs Gardener retires. In many ways these staff have given generously to our students. On behalf of our parents and carers, thank you and we wish you well in the next stage of your career.
We have made major Staff Appointments for the coming year and I look forward to introducing our new team to you in September. These include the senior external appointments of Mr Swainson - Head of DT, Mr Harrison - Head of Maths, Ms Jenkins - programme leader Music, Mr Jones - programme leader IMedia and Ms Crouch - Director of On-Line Learning. Internally, Mr Melling will become Senior Teacher Leader at the Academy, moving away from being Head of Sixth Form, a post he has held for the past 11 years.
Next term, following the exam results, I will write to you telling you of the Destinations of our Year 13 leavers. As we make progress, our students have greater access to college courses and to employment.
Good grades in 5 GCSEs and more are the keys to future success and we expect promising results from our Year 11 students. Our Success Group students, with help from parents (thank you) worked very hard before the exams and the attitude to work and the behaviour in exams was better than ever.
We can do even better next year and we are already talking to Year 10 about what they need to do in the next 12 months. Please remind your daughter/son that all Coursework Deadlines especially in English are very important indeed.
Looking ahead, to next year our Academy Uniform will remain the same. Our Year 12 and 13 students wear smart business dress and all other students must wear school shoes (not trainers), a blazer, (the jumper is additional to the blazer, not instead of our blazer) white shirt and house tie and dark school trousers. From September all top coats, anoraks and scarves should be black.
Next term begins on:
Wednesday 3rd September at 8.30 am for students in Years 7 and 12 (and some Ambassadors) and Thursday 4th September at 8.30am for all students.
Thank you for your support during the year. All staff at the Academy join me in wishing you a safe and enjoyable holiday.
The Rt Revd Peter Hullah
Principal
